The NFL Draft is an unfolding drama not unlike a long-running television series.

The plot with each draft class twists and turns, and is often uncertain.

What is evident from the beginning is planning - good or bad - by teams.

The Lions had a solid plan entering this draft. It is in direct correlation to their division, the NFC North. It is a rugged division. The Vikings, Packers and Bears are not exactly finesse teams. Yet, all won 10 or more games last season because they combined ruggedness with athleticism.

Advertisement

The Lions lost every game within their division last season. The major reason why is their defense and special teams couldn’t match those teams in the size-speed-strength-ruggedness equation.

So if there is something to be encouraged about with the first three rounds of this NFL Draft, it’s the Lions have taken steps to correct that issue. Oh, and they filled a major hole on the offensive line.

“We wanted to get bigger, more physical and faster,” Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said.

The Lions did.

With Brigham Young defensive end Ziggy Ansha in the first round, and Mississippi State cornerback Darius Slay in the second round, the Lions became more athletic on defense. And football is a simple game. The team with the bigger, stronger, faster players usually wins.

I did like their third-round pick, as well. Larry Warford is a 340-pound guard from Kentucky. He wasn’t selected so much to be road grater in the running game, as to anchor their pass protection inside. It was the biggest failing of departed veteran guard Stephen Peterman.

“He (Warford) was built to play guard in the NFL,” Lions’ coach Jim Schwartz said. “He is a thick, powerful guy, who has good athleticism for his size.

“There were too many times we had inside pressure on (quarterback) Matthew Stafford.”

Were they obvious picks? Not necessarily. Ansah will play his career in comparison to LSU rush end/linebacker Barkevious Mingo, who was taken the pick afterward by the Cleveland Browns.

Slay will play his career in comparison to his teammate at Mississippi State Johnthan Banks, who was selected a few picks later by Tampa Bay.

Banks was the better college player, and certainly received more recognition. But while scouting Banks, NFL teams starting liking Slay more. Slay had the much better 40-yard dash time and is big (6-0, 190-pounds) for a fast corner. In my opinion, Banks will be the better NFL player, but it’s an evaluation that is mixed among pundits and teams. Slay has a knee issue. He and the Lions say it isn’t major.

“You can’t have enough good corners,” Schwartz said. “This is a good corner.”

Warford will be compared to Brian Winters from Kent State, who the Lions did have in for a pre-draft visit. He is not quite the same anchor (few players are as big as Watford), but more versatile than Watford. Winters starred at tackle. The Jets took Winters a could selections after the Lions picked Watford.

The Lions are also in need of a wide receiver. There was run on several good ones immediately after the Watford pick in the third round - Terrance Williams from Baylor (Dallas), California’s Kennan Allen (San Diego), Oregon State’s Markus Wheaton (Pittsburgh), Marques Goodwin a genuine speed burner from Texas (Buffalo) and West Virginia’s Steadman Bailey (St. Louis).

Yet, it is splitting hairs. It’s not like the Lions’ reached with any of their choices. They were solid.

Last year, none of the players they took in the first three rounds started for the Lions on an extended basis their rookie seasons - offensive tackle Riley Reiff, wide receiver Ryan Broyles and cornerback Bill Bentley. The remainder of the 2012 NFL Draft wasn’t particularly helpful for the Lions during the 2012 season, either.

I can already see where this draft will help the Lion sooner instead of later.

That’s progress.

Pat Caputo is a senior sports reporter and a columnist for Digital First Media. Contact him at pat.caputo@oakpress.com and read his blog at theoaklandpress.com. You can follow him on Twitter @patcaputo98